Methane Gas as an Alternative Source of Energy

The author states that cows are responsible of at least 18% of methane that is in our atmosphere. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is odorless and colorless. The author also states that carbon dioxide is cleaner than methane. Methane released right into the atmosphere will be a thing of the past, because the National Institute For Agricultural Technology of Argentina has created a backpack that can be placed on cows. That bag has tubes that go into the digestive tract of the cow and collects 300 liters of methane. That is enough energy to be used to power a car for 24 hours instead of being released into the atmosphere. While each bag collects only 300 liters, one adult cow will produce 1000 liters of methane in one day. One day of methane collection can power a car for more than 72 hours or 3 cars for more than 24 hours. Methane can also be used for generating electricity by burning it to produce heat. While methane is harmful, there are still ways to reduce the output of it in the atmosphere by putting it to good

There is a never ending search for an effective source of energy that is both efficient and the safest option to use. Scientists located in japan may have found a solution to this dilemma as they were recently able to locate methane clathrate, more commonly known as fire ice. Despite the name existing as an oxymoron, many believe this hydrate could prove to be the savior for the earth’s fuel problems. However, given current research this supposedly useful source of natural gas could prove even more detrimental towards the environment than carbon dioxide.

Tap water isn’t supposed to catch fire. Well in most part of the central United States it is, due to water being contaminated with natural gas. There are several chemicals they use for fracking. Some of the known chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects, and disorders to the nervous system. One of the biggest problems is Methane. Methane is almost the same as natural gas. Is a potent heat-trapping gas up to 100 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Methane leaks at every stage of a fracking. From production and processing to transmission and distribution. It is estimated that 35% of the current natural gas wells are leaking. It is very hard to fix a leak in any well taking in consideration that the average well is 8,000 feet deep.

Fracking drills into the earth in order to obtain gas. However, in the process methane is leaked into the environment hurting the climate. When cows digest food, they too emit methane in their waste and their flatus. Cattle emits “one hundred and fifty billion gallons of methane per day and produces one hundred and thirty times more waste than all humans collectively”. Unlike human waste, most of it has no use and cannot be used for “waste treatment”.

For over forty years now, scientists and researchers have been tirelessly searching for an alternative to fossil fuels. Biofuels have become an interesting contender in the search for the replacement of the non-renewable energy source. Biofuels have been used throughout history for over thousands of years. There is a large debate over biofuels and its true impact on the environment. Those involved in the discussion debating whether biofuels have any real overwhelming benefits compared to fossil fuels could argue for its usage. According to recent research performed by the University of Michigan, biofuels may not be the best alternative for fossil fuels. Regardless of its impact on the environment, biofuels are becoming more popular particularly when the price of oil rises.

However, if you do get the methane out into a usable form, a person could use it to heat their house by combusting methane. When methane undergoes a reaction with oxygen (burning), the covalent bonds around the central carbon atom break, transforming into heat energy. In the process though carbon also bonds with oxygen gas creating carbon dioxide (CO2). The leftover hydrogen atoms then bond with more oxygen and form more water. This of course results in a gaseous form of carbon dioxide and water. In the end the process is termed exothermic due to it releasing heat into the surrounding area. The products of this reaction will go to completion as shown below.

Methane is byproduct of the production and transportation of coal, natural gas and oil. It is also produced from livestock and agricultural practices and from anaerobic decay of organic

Results from this experiment showed that methane production rates were different for each substrate used. Methane production was higher and faster in cultures using acetate as a substrate than cultures using methanol. At the same initial concentration of methanol or acetate, 20 mmol/medium of methane was produced in just three days if using acetate, while if using methanol, methane production

Methane is the second most important greenhouse gas. Even though there is less methane in the air than carbon dioxide, methane is much more absorbent of infrared radiation than carbon dioxide. Methane comes from many places. Large amounts of methane gas come from cattle. The plants and grass that the cattle eat are broken down by different types of microorganisms. Methane is then produced by their digestion process. These cattle belch every two minutes and release methane gas each time they do it. Since one cow emits a half pound of methane a day and there are 1.3 billion cattle in the world, more than 100 million tons of methane are released each year into the air (Bilger 50). Another type of animal that releases methane gas is a

Methane is a major component of natural gas and is largely produced by biological production and leaking from natural gas pipelines and other infrastructure. Some of the biological sources of methane are natural, such as termites. Other sources, however, are driven by increased human agricultural activity, such as the cultivation of rice. Recent evidence suggests that forests may be the source of

“Methane has been identified as a significant contributor to global warming. It is second to carbon dioxide in contribution to global warming and is said to be 15-20% of all greenhouse gas emissions.” (Yusuf, Noor, Abba, A. Hassan, & Din., 2012, p. 1). The majority of the greenhouse gases emitted in the agricultural sector came from livestock (Yusuf et al., 2012, p. 2). Studies have shown that “cows produce more greenhouse gases than the entire

My research is about natural gas the way that I gathered my information is through mixed method design combining qualitative and quantitative research but mostly qualitative. Through my research I have discovered many fascinating facts about natural gas that I did not know about as well as just how far we have come in developing many uses for it. In my discussion, I would like to share what I have discovered through my research and attempt at providing factual evidence to provide why we as a country should try to convert into using natural gas as a primary energy source or at least persuade you into using natural gas as much as we use other energy sources such as coal, oil, and gas.

In the world of global warming, all kinds of pollution and fuel shortages going on, renewable and clean/ green energy is increasingly the ideal solution of energy related problems we have to solve one way or another. Biofuel is one of the mainstream and highly supported solutions nowadays, an idea to make renewable fuel by living organisms such as fiber, corn, vegetable oil or sugar cane. Unlike nonrenewable fossil fuels over extracted by people causing various environmental problems like generating a considerable amount greenhouse gas, current technology already lets renewable fuel like biofuels to shrink a certain amount of greenhouse gas production, making it a more ‘clean’ source of energy.

‘Methane’ is the primary source of natural gas and the methane settlement found in coal seams is called ‘Coal Bed Methane’ a.k.a. CBM. Unlike conventional sources of energy, the extraction mechanism of CBM is very unique. Earlier methane used to be extracted through biological processes like Methanogenesis by formation of microbes, or a thermal processes where as wells are drilled deeper into the coal seam the temperature rises steeply and as a result thermogenic gas is created from buried organic material. The latest extraction technology uses water pumped from wells drilled into the coal seam thereby depreassurising the water held in the seam and results in the free flow of methane gas which is pipped and marketed. This technology grabbed popularity among energy traders and geophysicists and was considered as an ‘eco-friendly’ technique of CBM extraction unlike other extraction processes which required mining or combustion of coal. Though in comparison, this hydraulic technique is not as polluting as mining or combustion, the water which is produced from such operation can contain harmful and hazardous radio active material from the earth, thus if not regulated and discharged in a safe and proper manner it could pose extreme

Unlike gasoline or diesel, biofuels release little pollution. It can also be used to produce electricity by heating water using biofuels and using the steam produced to rotate a turbine. Another method is to allow the biofuel to decay and produce methane. Methane is commonly used as fuel for car, heating, cooking, and producing electricity.